Bhubaneswar: Two ATM fraudsters were arrested by the police in Odisha capital on Monday and Rs 5.5 lakh cash and some gold ornaments recovered from them.
Using a unique modus operandi, the two committed fraud by targeting people who are not familiar with the use of ATM cards, sources said.
The accused used to offer help to gullible people at ATM kiosks. After knowing their PIN, they would cleverly replace the ATM card with another similar looking card and return it to the account holder.
After the unsuspecting account holder leaves the kiosk with a fake card, they used to withdraw cash in multiple operations and empty the account. The two also purchased jewelleries using ATM cards, they said.
The two, identified as Manoj Sahu and Gobardhan Patra, were nabbed by the Commissionerate Police after a woman lodged a complaint at Laxmisagar Police Station on January 6.
The accused persons used to operate on trial and error basis and some people, mainly elderly persons, often fell victim to the fraud.
Five cases are already pending against the two in different police stations, police sources said.
